


somewhere over the rainbow (way up high)

by ai_sana



Category: Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story
Genre: Alternate Universe - Wings, Angst, F/F, Fairy Tale Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29529168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ai_sana/pseuds/ai_sana
Summary: A tale of two princesses.
Relationships: Aika Himena/Miwa Mitsune, Azumi Hagumu/Miyabi Shigure, Kazari Jun/Miwa Mitsune
Kudos: 7





	somewhere over the rainbow (way up high)

**Author's Note:**

> Jun and Mitsune are characters from the event story of Girls In The Hood. Its full translation is still in progress, but you can read the English summary here: https://wiki.puella-magi.net/Magia_Record_Story_Girls_in_the_Hood
> 
> A lot of information about Himena (and other things) has not been revealed yet, so while writing this I am using my own headcanons about her based on what we currently know. These headcanons are almost certainly not going to be compliant with her canon character in future story developments.
> 
> Himena's self-pronoun is 私チャン ("Watashi-chan"/"I-chan"), which is translated into "this cutie" here.

_Long long ago, in a small country named God's Shore, lived a hooded prince with wings of wonderful magic and a smile of sweet candy._

* * *

“Want me to take you somewhere over the rainbow?” Flying onto the windowsill, Jun asked the shy girl trapped in the ivory tower.

“…somewhere… over the rainbow…?” Mitsune’s eyes widened in delighted surprise.

And so the prince took her hand and heart alike.

With Jun’s help, Mitsune climbed down from her tower. Breathlessly and with bare feet, she stepped into the fresh grass under the warm sun, far away from the cold hard prison she locked herself in for years.

“…daylight…” Mitsune murmured in awe, feeling the spring breeze softly caressing her grey hair.

“Daylight!” Jun nodded, her face shining bright.

Hand in hand, the two of them walked through the beautiful forest on the hill, until they reached Tomorrow Shop, a candy store down in the small town. In the sweetened atmosphere inside the cozy little store, Jun invited Mitsune to play with the kids who hung out there. Naturally, she agreed, and that became how they spent the next few days.

These days were precious. For the first time in her life, Mitsune felt true warmth in her heart, where the sense of loneliness no longer lingered. Sometimes, she even felt the urge to chat with customers visiting the shop. Had she never met Jun, this was something she wouldn’t dare to dream of.

Mitsune supposed that these changes must have been caused by the prince’s magic. For that Jun was indeed magical; every time Mitsune got trapped by those scary monsters called “Witches”, Jun would be there to save her from danger.

 _What if I also had magic...?_ Mitsune wondered one day, watching Jun freely spread her feathered wings in the morning light. _Yes… I want magic. Someone like me needs magic. That way, I can be strong, like she is… That way, I can truly become Jun’s princess…_

When she proposed that idea to Jun, Jun shook her head. “One doesn’t need magic to do cool stuff. You can be whoever you want without it.”

The doubt on the shy girl’s face remained.

“Hey, c’mere and look at this,” Jun continued, taking out her sketchbook. “I’m planning to make a hot air balloon. By hand, with no magic.”

“…hot air… balloon?”

“Haha, isn't it cool? I promised to take you over the rainbow, didn’t I? This is how I’m working on it. Even the things that seem the most impossible can be done without magic or wings.”

Jun’s voice was reassuring, and for a while Mitsune let her woes go.

* * *

It was not long until the sweet days at the retro candy store came to an abrupt end. Jun had to leave God’s Shore for a few years, and Mitsune wouldn’t be able to go with her.

“…no… I… I don’t want to leave you! …Jun…!” On the day of Jun’s departure, Mitsune shouted desperately.

“There, there.” Jun pulled her into a tight hug. “Hey, Mitsune, don’t cry. I bet I’ll be back way sooner than you’d expect!”

“…r-really…?”

“And when that day comes, we’ll build a hot-air balloon together. Then, I’ll finally take you to the other side of the rainbow!”

“…but… what can I do… without your magic to protect me…?”

“Magic isn’t everything, remember that. You’ll find a way to protect yourself!”

“…is that so…?”

“Yup. As soon as I come back, I’ll find you again at the usual place, and everything will be the same again,” Jun said as she waved farewell. “See you at Tomorrow Shop, my little princess!”

And with that, the prince flew away into the sunset.

Tears blurred Mitsune’s vision, but she could still remember the bright smile on Jun’s face before she took flight.

 _How could Jun always be this sunny…?_ _It’s her magic,_ she supposed. _Or perhaps, that’s just the kind of person Jun is. The kind of person I’m not…_

 _…That’s right._ Realization dawned in Mitsune’s misty eyes. _Jun doesn’t need magic to do great things. But, I’m not someone like Jun…_

Her weak body shivered in the chilly autumn wind. The sun disappeared into the back of the mountains, and twilight was fastly approaching the small town.

_I’m nothing like Jun._

_I’m nothing but a hopeless, good-for-nothing hikikomori, and it’s impossible for me to change._

_Princess? What a joke…_

* * *

Mitsune climbed back to her ivory tower. She wanted to go back to being a rock and an island, free from the pain caused by friendship, free from the tears caused by love.

But she had already loved, and the wound in her heart refused to go away. It went on bleeding, and the girl went on crying, crying tears of regret.

_If only I had magic, if only I had wings, if only I could fly…_

_If only I had been a princess, worthy of the prince’s love…_

_...if only._

Mitsune was sure that she and Jun would’ve reached the end of the rainbow already.

* * *

“Want this cutie to take you to the highest heaven?” A high-pitched voice snapped Mitsune back to reality.

Mitsune sharply inhaled, her tears frozen. Her meek body trembling, she slowly looked up from the stone-cold ground she had been kneeling on.

In front of her flew a stranger in tattoos, silken wings and a tiara. Doing a small dance in mid-air, she looked downward at the lonely girl with great curiosity.

“…who… who are you…?” Mitsune asked nervously, her voice tinier than ever.

The flying girl’s laughter was of vivid euphoria and brilliant music. It circulated around the empty place and created a peculiar harmony with the howling of the wind.

In the end, she spoke. “This cutie’s name is Aika Himena, but you can call me Princess!”

“Princess…?” Mitsune whispered softly.

“That’s a good girl!” Himena nodded in approval, her purple eyes twinkling with glee. Gracefully, she landed in front of Mitsune. “Hey hey, what’s _your_ name?”

“…um… I'm Miwa… Mitsune…”

“Mitsurin you are. You seem kinda lame, honestly,” Himena’s eyes scanned her from head to toe. “Pretty cute though, so it’s fine. Totes didn’t expect someone like you to have magic this strong.”

“…magic… me…?” Mitsune stared at her in disbelief.

“It’s true. You’ve got magic in ya. I sensed it from a mile away!”

 _Am I in some sort of fever dream…?_ Mitsune wondered. _Have I become so… so pathetic, that I’ve started hallucinating things?..._

“Now, you wanna come with this cutie?” Himena asked in her sing-song voice, “I’ll make you great and powerful, kyaha!”

_Great… and powerful…?_

“This cutie’s team is full of shy girls like you,” Himena said, “Shigurin, she's a total coward, and Hagurin, who’s got a head full of straw. You’ll fit right in.”

_If she said that in order to encourage me, then it certainly wasn’t a good choice of words… Well, not like she’s wrong..._

With no warning, Himena suddenly leaned close to Mitsune’s confused face, causing the latter to flinch in great panic.

“But, but, but. That’s only what it looks like on the surface,” she whispered excitedly into Mitsune’s ears, “I’ll tell you a little secret, Mitsurin. No one else there has nearly as much potential as you do. With just a _teensy_ bit of training, you can become _super-duper_ powerful!”

“…I d-don’t think…” the grey-haired girl stuttered awkwardly, visibly flustered by the proximity, “…that’s p-possible… at all…”

“And that’s where you’re wrong!” Himena harshly grabbed Mitsune by the left shoulder. There was something eerily comforting about the pungent fragrance of Princess’ perfume. “Trust me, your magical potential is a gift. Wasting this one-chance miracle would be _such_ a shame! Don’t you wanna go up to the top of the world?”

“…the…top of the world…?”

“Mhm. The peak, the summit, the highest heaven, whatever ya wanna call it.” Letting go of Mitsune’s shoulder, Himena soared up into the air like a swift. “It’s where this cutie is!”

Shrill and melodious, the echoes of her voice pierced through the gloomy clouds. The glitter of her tiara was the only star in the dark sky of the winter night.

 _She’s… beautiful. That’s what a true princess looks like._ Down below, the timid girl was watching her with a stunned expression. _Can I, Mitsune, a hopeless hikikomori, really be like that too? With the help of magic…_

Magic. It's a beautiful word.

“One doesn’t need magic to do cool stuff. You can be whoever you want without it.”

That was what Jun told her, but Mitsune knew that her case was different.

The girl in the sky did an elegant backflip and took a deep dive towards the ground. Her tiara gleamed and glimmered, dazzling Mitsune’s vision.

_Ah...! A shooting star…_

Shutting her eyes close, Mitsune took a deep breath.

“…I… I wish… I could become… a princess like her…”

_I’m sorry, Jun, but this is the only way I could protect myself..._

In a small town in the country of God’s Shore, a burning glow lit up the middle of the icy December night.

When the glow dimmed and Mitsune was able to see clearly again, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Two grey wings were arcing off her back, like a concave reflection. Her ragged clothes had not changed a bit, but she felt something heavy on her head.

It was a shining tiara.

_My wish, it really came true...! I’m… I’m really a princess now... Jun, my prince, will be happy when she hears that…!_

Her new wings couldn’t fly just yet, but an equally overjoyed Himena grabbed her hand tightly and ran towards the lightless forest.

* * *

_And like that, a princess followed another into the hollow darkness..._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this. I'm working on the second chapter, which will be posted soon... hopefully.


End file.
